


His Sentinel

by Databuffer



Series: A Boy and his Robot [3]
Category: Lost in Space (TV 2018)
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Both dads care about their boy and are entirely too defensive of him, Dad feels useless, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, Minor Illness, Robot is Dad #2, Robot/Human Relationships, the robot cares a lot but doesn't know how to show it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-26 22:20:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14411742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Databuffer/pseuds/Databuffer
Summary: It was only now that John realized the robot probably had the same problems that John had at the moment. Neither of them were doctors, or scientists, or really anything useful for something like this. Both wanted to help, but couldn’t… Though John could have simply been applying human qualities it didn’t have.John finds himself frustrated with a few things. How little he can help, and the fact he is being replaced by a robot who can do his job 100% better than him





	His Sentinel

**Author's Note:**

> A loose combination of prompts provided by tarrpit, Nyrandrea, & Firelord_Lia
> 
> Feel free to offer suggestions for what I could write next ^^

Will was sick. Some sort of… Fungus… That’s what Maureen and Watanabe had said anyway. One hour the kid was walking through the woods playing with his robot, the next, he was coughing up a storm back on the ship. Maureen being as protective of him as she is, had it all figured out as soon as the fever started, and got every willing scientists together to work on a cure in even less time.

So… The kid was fine. Hopefully. They said it should pass in a day, like a normal fever now that the source was neutralized. They had him eating, drinking, and taking their homemade medicine, and in bed – which to John’s chagrin, was all more than he had done, or would have been able to do. He had been sidelined from the start. His experience laid with taking people out, rather than putting people back together… there wasn’t much use for a military guy like John apparently. Well… no, that was a lie. Even the robot was doing more…

John abandoned the task he had been given. It was just work designed to keep him busy. No one really needed him to check each individual MRE for a break in the packaging, what they needed was for him to shut up, and stop asking ‘what can I do?’. As calmly as he could manage, he placed the packages back into their box. One stack at a time, before resealing it. Despite the annoyance that was boiling up. Despite the temptation to throw it all in there haphazardly and crush it down with the lid. It was useless to be angry.

John turned on his heel, walking back to the Jupiter 2. Slowly enough that he hoped he would be able to collect his thoughts.

He remembered hearing the rattling coughs in the hub, after he had come on board from moving cargo that evening. The second he stepped out of the Chariot, it could be heard. Loud enough to echo across the ship. He’d hurried down the corridor, and the second he entered he was greeted with Penny, pushing his back, telling him: “We don’t need two people sick, get a mask on!”

Will was hunched over the table, holding his chest, while Judy held a stethoscope to his back. The robot was pacing- he’d never seen him do that before. Stomping back and forth, standing at the opposite end of the table, looming over Will, trying to get a peak. He seemed restless. The girls were constantly ordering him to stop stomping, it of course never listened until Penny brought Will into it, and stated that getting stressed out was probably only making Will stressed out. Then he chilled out. Standing nearby, close enough to Will that he could see what was going on.

He remembered the way his face looked… those blue lights swirling chaotically.

It was only now that John realized the robot probably had the same problems that John had at the moment. Neither of them were doctors, or scientists, or really anything useful for something like this. Both wanted to help, but couldn’t… Though John could have simply been applying human qualities it didn’t have. Perhaps it was angry. It was impossible to read it afterall… It was all possible that it wanted to push the girls aside and… do something… he couldn’t figure it out that far.

Whatever its intentions, it had definitely done more than John had. All John had done was stand in the doorway, and watch in concern.

 

 

John walked onto the ship. He noticed the absence of that dreadful coughing, though as he climbed up the ladder and into the living quarters, he was corrected. It was only weaker now. Still dreadful, rattling, and dry, but quieter. He was struck with concern, and regretted having allowed himself to be moved away so easily in the first place. He should have been by his side the whole time.  It didn’t matter if he would get sick from it – it was simple. He should be by his boy’s side, offering sympathetic coos like they showed in the movies. He was moving down the hall faster, in what was essentially a jog. He put his mask back on mere feet away from Will’s bedroom, and let out a startled gasp when he finally got a peek inside.

The first thing he noticed was the robot – something he noted with mild annoyance, recalling the time he directly ordered it to stay out of his son’s room. It was on one knee, looming over the bed, one hand partially reached out, and glowing a warm red. John felt some sort of protective instinct well up. First fearing the robot was about to fire on his son, before the irrationality tamed itself, and was corrected. It shifted to aggravation. His idea was already being used by a robot. That’s where he was supposed to be. Not some machine they knew nothing about! Was he replaced? Was the robot _trying_ to replace him now?

 

Well…

He wasn’t there, was he?

He never was…

Will had to make do with what he had.

 

The second thing he noticed was the wave of pleasant warmth that hit him when he stepped into the doorway. The robot was essentially acting a mini heater for the boy. One thing the robot certainly had up on John. The room was maintained at somewhere about 70 degrees.

The third thing – embarrassingly – that he noticed, was Will himself. Rolled onto his side, towards the robot. Sleeping from the looks of it. Chest slowly rising and falling.

Slowly John walked in. The robot tracking him carefully across the room, as John moved to the opposite bedside. That unyielding gaze following him the whole way, until John was mimicking its posture. Kneeling down, one hand reaching over to tuck Will’s hair behind his ear in an affectionate gesture that he’d seen Maureen do. Though he was cut short when the robot actually made a noise. A short… sound. He couldn’t explain it. A deep, digital, aggressive sounding bleat. Quiet enough to not wake Will, but enough to catch John’s attention. When he looked up, the robot was still staring him down. Its face still swirling with blue, but he swore he saw it flicker with red every moment or so.

John felt a whirlwind of emotions. Anger towards the robot for its gall to take that tone with him, mostly. After a moment of empty staring, he spoke. Finally catching on that the robot wasn’t going to let off.

“Hey, don’t give me that, he’s my son too. I’m allowed to touch him.” John hissed back, in annoyance, as he continued to lower his hand. The robot did nothing, other than what John could assume to be stare in anger. For not the first time he found himself wondering if the robot was even capable of understanding him, or if it just refused to listen. Right now its seemed like both.

The stalemate was finally broken when Will coughed again. The red was gone from the robot’s face in an instant. Its head canted downwards back to Will. Watching they boy’s face closely. The cough sounded painful, and for a moment, John considered seeing if they happened to bring any cough syrup to the new world, before dismissing it. Judy would have given them whatever they had, and could administer. He trusted her with that.

With that judgmental gaze gone, John placed his hand down atop Will’s shoulder. Thumb rubbing in gentle circles. It felt familiar, despite the fact he was not actually able to recall when the last time he’d done it had been.

“You’re going to be ok buddy. You’ve pulled through worse.” John whispered the empty assurance.

 There was the sound of mechanical whirring from the robot. The one made every time it moved, and in an instant, his eyes were back on the being. The machine was staring at its own hands at the moment. The red glow stopped before it turned one over to mirror John’s actions Hand moving to settle on the same arm John’s hand was on. As a gut reflex, John opened his mouth to shoot the robot down. To tell him it was only something his family could do – or maybe robots weren’t allowed to touch his son, but… Well, that felt needlessly cruel. Driven by emotion, and jealousy, and not any tangible form of logic.

Instead what came out was kinder. Advice. “Be gentle. Humans are delicate. Especially when they’re sick.” John whispered. The robot looked up at him, and nodded- actually nodded. That was certainly a first… Maybe he only listened when Will was involved?

John watched as the robot gently lowered his hand onto Will. Six fingers gently gracing him. Pressure so light, that the fabric of the blanket didn’t as much as shift in reaction. He was… impressed.

John would feel guilty later, at having spent the time staring at the robot, trying to figure him out, rather than watching his son, and giving comfort as best as he could, but he couldn’t help it.

It felt undeniable now.

“You care a lot about him don’t you?” The robot didn’t even shift. Not even a cursory glance upwards to acknowledge him speaking. Instead his gaze was locked downwards on Will.

 

He had been jealous of the role the robot had taken in Will’s life. He had felt like he had just been replaced with a fancy new toy. However now, it became clear. The robot had earned his role. That care, that affection towards a human child. It was stunning…. Something he never would have expected of… well, a machine – let alone an alien machine! It was almost parental. Maybe John could trust it a little more… No. Baby steps.

 

 

When Will inevitably woke up, John hastily retracted his hand. Why, was beyond him.

The boy woke with a shaky cough. One of his hands clutched at his chest, and that was it. His eyes were open. Staring up at the robot, who was in turn, staring back down at him.

John got up, silently. Padding backwards as quietly as he could, until he was standing in the doorway. He couldn’t tell why he had done that either.

Will reached up slowly. Not exactly shaky, more… uncertain. Fingertips touched the glass faceplate of the robot, who unexpectedly leaned into the touch, lights swirling around Will’s hand, in an ever unreadable gesture. Will’s fingers explored the faceplate for a few moments, before those inquisitive hands reached upwards, hand feeling along the ridges of the robot’s helm. The robot all the while was compliant. Shifting his head to grant better access, but other than that showing no signs of discomfort, like the disgust it seemed to radiate when the rest of the family touched him.

Soon enough, Will pulled his hand back, and drifted back off to sleep.

It was then, that John noticed something else. The robot’s hand moving slowly. Both thumbs gently rubbing in slight circles.

 

John smiled, and turned to walk off. Removing his mask as he did so. The robot was taking good enough care of his son. Perhaps it was okay that he couldn’t help. Maybe it was better that others could do his job better than him. It was better for Will that way.


End file.
